Three NJ lawmakers call for an independent review of a train’s role in defeating flood gates during Hurricane Ida

https://www.senatenj.com/uploads/train-bound-brook-floodgates-520.jpg
This photo from NJ.com shows NJ Transit Train #5450 blocking one of Bound Brook’s floodgates from closing completely leading to flooding within the town from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. (Photo Credit: Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

New Jersey State Senator Michael Doherty, Assemblyman John DiMaio, and Assemblyman Erik Peterson (all R-23) will introduce legislation requiring an independent investigation of the flooding of Bound Brook that occurred after a disabled New Jersey Transit train blocked the town’s protective floodgates from closing during Hurricane Ida.

“It’s extremely concerning that the $300 million floodgate system that was put in place to protect Bound Brook from flooding was defeated by a disabled NJ Transit train that shouldn’t have been running,” said Doherty. “We need a transparent, independent review of this incident to understand what processes failed during Ida to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Although flash flood warnings had been issued due to extremely high rainfall projections as the remnants of Hurricane Ida passed over New Jersey, Raritan Valley Line Train #5450 attempted to operate in the extremely flood-prone area.

The train became stuck as the track was washed over by floodwaters and debris. A later attempt to close Bound Brook’s floodgates to protect the town from Raritan River flooding couldn’t be implemented since the train was blocking one of the gates.

“We had National Weather Service warnings that flash floods were likely along the Raritan Valley Line as a result of Ida, along with numerous reports of actual flooding by the time the train was stuck,” said DiMaio. “Why didn’t New Jersey Transit or Governor Murphy take the warnings seriously enough? Why didn’t anyone think to halt the trains in a safe place after flooding was reported? Because of these failures, Bound Brook flooded yet again.”

Bound Brook’s flood control systems include thousands of feet of levees and floodwalls, pump stations, and three floodgates, including the gate at the NJ Transit crossing that was blocked by Train #5450.

“While it took decades to plan and build Bound Brook’s flood control system, it took just seconds for a stuck train to prevent it from working,” added Peterson. “Since NJ Transit may bear some legal liability for the flood damage to homes and businesses that resulted, we shouldn’t leave it up to them to tell us what went wrong. We need an impartial, independent review to ensure that the people of Bound Brook get the honest answers they deserve.”

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Firefighters are girding Earth’s biggest tree to protect it against wildfire. Here’s how General Sherman got its name(s).

Firefighters wrap fire-resistant materials around a Sequoia National Forest tree threatened by the KNP Complex Fire near Three Rivers, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 17. (National Park Service Handout/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


By María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post

The largest tree in the world has lived through millennia, has been named for a Civil War general, and has shaded a socialist commune that briefly called it Marx. Now the centerpiece of Sequoia National Park is endangered by the California wildfires burning nearby.

The KNP Complex Fire — which comprises the Colony and Paradise fires — is torching the Sierra Nevada area and leading firefighters to wrap the giant trees in aluminum to protect them from the inferno that began Sept. 9 and had burned through17,900 acres as of Saturday night.

Wildfire threatens historic trees at Sequoia National Park. Fireproof blankets are the defense.

The sequoias, believed to be some of the world’s most ancient, became a national landmark in the mid-19th century. Hamilton, General Grant, General Sherman, and others are named for American leaders, and their histories enmeshed with the then-nascent country’s history and politics.

Sequoias, which can live to be about 3,000 years old, had already been known by the Native American tribes that inhabited the Sierra Nevada. Then, in the mid-1800s, the giant trees became a tourist attraction after a hunter had an encounter with what newspapers of the time deemed the “Sylvan Mastodon” or the “Vegetable Monster.”

According to a 1975 National Park Service history briefing, the crew of an 1833 expedition into the Sierra Nevada is credited as being the first group of White people to spot the sequoias, but it never reported the discovery. Almost two decades later, Augustus T. Dowd, a hunter tasked with feeding Gold Rush miners, chased a wounded bear into the woods and walked into a sequoia grove.

News spread fast, describing trees that dwarfed people. “It was the equivalent of finding a unicorn or Big Foot,” said Daegen Miller, a historian and author of “This Radical Land: A Natural History of American Dissent.”

Read the full story here

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Vineyard Wind Proposes Up To 1.2 GW of Massachusetts Offshore Wind


By Michael Bates NA Windpower


Vineyard Wind says it has submitted two proposals in response to the request for proposals (RFP) for offshore wind energy projects in Massachusetts.

The “Commonwealth Wind” proposals offer options of approximately 800 MW and 1.2 GW of energy and outline investments in offshore wind infrastructure, the creation of thousands of jobs, and substantial commitments to environmental justice communities.

“We have used all of our experience with our existing portfolio to put together an incredibly strong proposal that, if selected, will ensure Massachusetts benefits significantly from its first-mover status in pioneering offshore wind at scale in the U.S.,” says Lars T. Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind.

“We have deliberately named our proposals ‘Commonwealth Wind’ to underline the broad benefit of affordable energy to the entire commonwealth as well as the significant economic benefits that will be delivered to multiple regions of Massachusetts,” he adds.

Other offshore wind news:
Work underway in RI on first US offshore wind farm
U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Has Electrifying Future

Commonwealth Wind will be developed in an area just south of the company’s Vineyard Wind 1 and Park City Wind projects. The project will adhere to the 1×1 nautical mile spacing between turbines, which was endorsed by the United States Coast Guard as the preferred layout for safety and navigation.

Currently, Vineyard Wind has 1,604 MW of wind energy under development for Massachusetts (Vineyard Wind 1) and Connecticut (Park City Wind). The company is 50 percent owned by funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50 percent by Avangrid Renewables.

If you liked this post you’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.

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EHD virus kills 700 deer so far in seven New York counties

Disease is not transmissable to humans; Public encouraged to report sick or dead deer to DEC

From the New York Department of Environmental Conservation

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today confirmed Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Nassau, Oswego, Suffolk, and Ulster counties. DEC is tracking suspected cases in Albany, Jefferson, Oneida, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Sullivan, and Westchester counties and new reports of dead deer to track the spread and estimate the number of deer succumbing to this disease. To date, DEC has received reports of approximately 700 dead deer.

Transmitted by midges In New York, the EHD virus is typically a fatal disease for deer that is transmitted by biting midges, small insects sometimes called no-see-ums or ‘punkies.’ The disease is not spread from deer to deer and humans cannot be infected by deer or bites from midges.

EHD virus was first confirmed in New York deer in 2007, with relatively small outbreaks in Albany, Rensselaer, and Niagara counties, and in Rockland County in 2011. From early September to late October 2020, a large EHD outbreak occurred in the lower Hudson Valley, centered in Putnam and Orange counties, with an estimated 1,500 deer mortalities.

Once infected, deer usually die within 36 hours. EHD outbreaks are most common in the late summer and early fall when midges are abundant, although initial cases this year were detected in late July. Signs of the EHD virus include fever, hemorrhage in muscles or organs, and swelling of the head, neck, tongue, and lips. A deer infected with EHD may appear lame or dehydrated. Frequently, infected deer will seek out water sources and many succumb near a water source. There is no treatment or means to prevent EHD. Dead deer do not serve as a source of infection for other animals. EHD has been in New York since July, and has had time to circulate and spread prior to the first killing frosts. Consequently, it has been more widespread this year than during previous outbreaks.

EHD outbreaks do not have a significant long-term impact on regional deer populations, but deer mortality can be significant in small geographic areas. EHD is endemic in the southern states, which report annual outbreaks, so some southern deer have developed immunity. In the northeast, EHD outbreaks occur sporadically and deer in New York have no immunity to this virus. Consequently, most EHD-infected deer in New York are expected to die. The first hard frost is expected to kill the midges that transmit the disease, ending the EHD outbreak.

Sightings of sick or dead deer suspected of having EHD can be reported to DEC via a new online EHD reporting form, also available via DEC’s website or by contacting the nearest DEC Regional Wildlife Office. DEC will continue to collect samples from deer and analyze data from deer reports to determine the extent of the outbreak. In addition, DEC has alerted Department of Agriculture and Markets veterinarians in the region to be aware of the disease and to report suspicious cases among captive deer.

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How a nasty tropical storm and a computer chip shortage have combined to make your next auto purchase more costly

LEAH MISHKIN, Correspondent, NJ Spotlight News

There’s a buyer-beware warning for those in the market to buy a new or used car. With thousands of vehicles destroyed in the floodwaters of Tropical Storm Ida, owners are now heading to dealerships in search of replacements. That’s putting pressure on an already distressed industry because of supply chain problems caused by the pandemic, including a microchip shortage. Inventory is at record lows.

Consumers should watch out for storm-damaged vehicles that have been cleaned up and are being resold to unsuspecting buyers.

Eric Gensinger, the owner of Mike’s Auto Sales in Garfield, warns of people trying to sell cars that were damaged by flooding. “They come in with the cars fully detailed and tell us how they just had it detailed. We’re not stupid. We know they didn’t have insurance, they got flooded, and they’re trying to sell it to us.”

Watch the full video here

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